Five things we learned about Celtic from defeat against St Johnstone

Celtic fell to their first Scottish Premier League defeat this year in the game against St Johnstone last night, which saw them fail to cash in on the chance to extend their lead over Aberdeen at the top of the table.

Here are five observations based on the game.

Reaction is tribute to recent performances

There were a few boos around as Celtic lost last night. It’s difficult to understand considering the good form the Bhoys have been in and it’s a tribute to the standards the side have set themselves under Ronny Deila.

Disjointed attacking play

St Johnstone’s job defensively was made easier because Celtic appeared to focus on attacking down the right hand side. That made them slightly predictable and allowed their opponents to load up defensively on that side.

A little bit of fatigue

It’s reasonable to suggest that there was evidence of a little bit of fatigue in the side last night. It’s understandable considering the recent pressure they have been under with the Europa League game last week followed by an important league game against Aberdeen last weekend.

Where is the plan B?

When Celtic’s conventional attacking play didn’t work, they seemed stuck for ideas in terms of a plan B. They need to show more versatility in terms of switching up their attacking play, which should come over the next few weeks.

Sometimes you just have to hold your hands up and say fair play to the opposition. St Johnstone were superb. They pressed well, broke up Celtic’s fluency and took an opportunity, which they doggedly defended.

Lewis Doe

Lewis Doe is a freelance writer and editor who seeks to bring you the biggest, smallest and most interesting stories from the football world. Lewis has previously written for some of the biggest football news and opinion sites in the world including FootballFanCast and Goal.com International. Lewis is also experienced writing in the betting industry and aims to deliver his stories with up to date factual and statistical information. He hopes to sum up stories for the site and provide an angle on the issue moving forward.Lewis is HITC Sport's La Liga correspondent.